Lessons from Psalms

Psalm 5:3

In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice,
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch

I have the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Life Application Study Bible and while reading Psalms 5 I did not pay much attention to this verse. But when looking over the notes on the bottom of the page, it pointed out that the secret of a close relationship with God is to pray to Him earnestly in the morning, because in the morning our minds are more free of problems & we can then commit our entire day to God! I was definitely reminded of how important and uplifting time with God in the morning is and how regular communication with Him is necessary for a strong relationship with Him. It also reminded me of one of my favorite verses from Lamentations.

Lamentation 3:21-23
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD's lovingkindness indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness

His lovingkindness never ends and His compassions will never fail us!
His compassions are new every single morning. Amen!

Psalm 6:6
I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with tears.

This Psalm was written by David while he was asking for deliverance in times of trouble and wow! What intensely sad imagery! But God reveals that do not need to put up a front and can pour out our hearts to Him and be completely honest with Him in times of anger or despair. And when we do, He will help us turn our attentions from ourselves to His love & mercy.

Psalm 7:12
If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword,
He has bent His bow and made it ready.

I've hear so many times throughout my walk with Christ about how important repentance is. And here is yet another reminder! Repentance is not just feeling remorse for sin, but is accompanied by the action of consciously turning away from sin.

A little more on repentance: http://carm.org/what-is-repentance

Psalm 8:3-5
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!

God created us only a little lower than Himself. He considers us highly valuable, and we have great worth because we bear the image of the Creator. Many times the world can make us feel worthless or even we can make ourselves feel inferior, but because God has already declared how valuable we are to Him, we can be set free each day from these weighted feelings of worthlessness.

So let's declare over ourselves: 
I am highly valuable & have great worth in God's eyes!

God, what have I been doing?

I've been so caught up in myself

I've forgotten of Your Majesty

And of the joy Your redeeming love brings

Oh God, what have I been doing?

God, melt this frozen heart

Lord, open my eyes

I've forgotten the depth of Your sacrifice

And that You are the way, the truth, and the life

Oh God, Lord Jesus

And oh, how precious is the blood

That the Son of God shed for me

on the cross

And oh, how great the suffering

That He take on my sin, so that I may live

eternally

Fill me up with Your Holy Spirit

You bring me back to life

Overflow in me Holy Spirit

Ignite a fire within

to DECLARE

Oh, how precious is the blood

That the Son of God

Shed for us

On the cross

And oh, how great the suffering

That He take on our sin

So that we may live

eternally

What's to Come: The Happiness Advantage

I remember a time when I wondered if I would always be sad- if I was just wired that way. I remember days when I felt so incredibly stunted, like I was going no where, like it all meant nothing. 

But this tumultuous journey has led me to one realization: change is possible

It is not a lofty idea that we all hope for, but it truly is possible. 

Recently, I've been reading a book called The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor, which sheds insight on how to make small changes that will largely impact overall happiness & success!

I've only reached the second chapter, but I just felt the need to share some of these insights with whoever is out there, to whoever could benefit from them- whether it is for just a single moment, or for a life time. I also think that writing and keeping short summaries of what I'm learning will really help all of the information sink in. So sit back relax and enjoy the short blurbs about the book as I read through it! 

Stay tuned, this will be fun!:)

Preview:

The principles highlighted in this book "will not tell you to paint on a happy face, use "positive thinking" to wish away your problems, or worse, to pretend your problems don't exists...but the Happiness Advantage starts at a different place. It asks us to be realistic about the present while maximizing our potential for the future. It is about learning how to cultivate the mindset and behaviors that have been empirically proven to fuel greater success and fulfillment."